TED Talks: 6 Architects For The People

These architects and designers are inspirational in their approach to providing solutions for people. Solutions that involve those who they're designed for and which respond to real needs.

Here we present six architects for the people. Watch their TED talks to see the common thread from these inspirational thinkers.
Kamal Meattle: How to grow fresh air
Researcher Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air. Meattle is a longtime activist for cleaning up India's air. His vision is to reshape commercial building in India using principles of green architecture and sustainable upkeep.

Ole Scheeren: Why architecture should tell a story
Architect Ole Scheeren believes that the people who live and work inside a building are as much a part of the building as the physical construction inputs. He asks: Can architecture be about collaboration and storytelling instead of the isolation and hierarchy of a typical skyscraper? In this TED Talk you will visit five of his buildings and learn the stories behind them.

Marc Kushner: Why the buildings of the future will be shaped by ... you
Through Architizer, an online hub for architecture, Marc Kushner is breaking architecture out of its insular echo chamber and reconnecting the public with buildings. His belief is that architecture touches everyone and that our new forms of media enable people to shape the built environment, which in turn will make better buildings and hence better cities.

Moshe Safdie: How to reinvent the apartment building

Moshe is a triple citizen of Canada, Israel and the United States, where most of his buildings can be found. From grand libraries to intimate apartment complexes, his work explores the qualities of light and the nature of public and private space. Moshe Safdie's master's thesis quickly became a cult building: his modular "Habitat '67" apartments for Montreal Expo '67.

Alejandro Aravena: My architectural philosophy? Bring the community into the process

Tom Hulme: What can we learn from shortcuts?

Designer and venturer Tom Hulme asks, How do you build a product people really want? In his view, allow consumers to be apart of the process. "Empathy for what your customers want is probably the biggest leading indicator of business success," he says. In this short talk, Hulme lays out three insightful examples of the intersection of design and user experience, where people have developed their own desire paths out of necessity.

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